World of Darkness
by Musical Darkness
Summary: The World of Darkness. How did it come into existance? What were it's beginnings? Well, it all starts with me, Akuma...


Well, it's certainly been a long time, hasn't it? OK, so one really random day (I forgot when), at a really random time (most likely midnight), in a really random place (bed), I get…a really random idea! I was thinking about the Dark Ocean, and by thinking, this came out! It's a bit complicated, but it makes more sense later. And thanks goes to Kaito Lune who beta'd this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I own Akuma, Sekai, and Yume, but, as usual, anyone can use them. However, there is a twist in this story. I don't own Dad (he has a name), or Mom (her name came from another story I read). Yes, Sekai and Yume are OCs, but at the same time, they're not OCs. Think about that while you're reading (And the Japanese fanatics like me will see the clues in the names!), and you should be able to figure out who/what these elusive characters are.

_World of Darkness_

You think you know me, right? You've seen this world that I am. The forests, faded and intertwined eternally with shadows, are my mind. The sea—the grey, uncontrollable sea—is my heart. And the sky, that starless sky, is my soul. I search for a certain kind of person. A few times, I found someone like that: a girl with short brown hair, with a heart full of light; a boy with spiky blonde hair and friendship in his soul. There was a girl with hair the color of carrots and eyes filled with love, and that boy that looked like me, who was gentle and kind, but was turned the opposite because of me. You see this world, and in turn, me. You either hate me or fear me. I'm always seen as the bad guy, but do you really know whom, not this world, but I am?

Who am I? My name is Akuma. I can't exactly remember everything that happened. I think I was human. I sort of remember my family. I remember having my Dad. He was tall, with tan skin, grey eyes, and brown hair tied in a ponytail. There was my younger sister, Sekai, with green eyes, and brown hair, and my older brother, Yume, with blonde hair and blue eyes. But I'm the one with the raven hair and indigo eyes, a far cry from the rest of my family. At least the part of the family I remember. I can't remember my Mom. She had a gentle voice, and loving eyes. That's the only thing I remember about her. I remember Dad telling all of us that Mom had gone…somewhere else. Sekai was eight. Yume was fourteen. I was eleven. And I probably always will be.

I remember that Sekai got the most attention. She was the youngest of the family. Mom always loved all of us, but she always made time for me, no matter how much attention she needed for everyone else. Dad loved to talk with Yume, because Yume always had something interesting to say. One of the last things I remember him telling Dad was about dreams and love, and how dreams changed futures in ways nothing else did, and how nothing survived without love. Mom always loved me, and Dad gave enough attention to me, but I always wanted them to give me the special attention that they gave Sekai and Yume. Then Mom disappeared.

Sekai was crying a lot, because she was so used to having Mom help her when she needed it, and I tried my best to help her, but she always went to Yume instead. Yume always got her to stop crying. Dad did the same thing. But when I tried, she always just ended up crying harder. Then she ran off to Yume or Dad, and whoever she ran off to just got mad at me. I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was hug her and tell her that everything would be all right. But she always told Dad and Yume that I was trying to hurt her with my 'darkness'. I didn't know what she was talking about until it was too late.

It was about 3 months later when it happened. Sekai was hidden in her bed, repeating over and over again, "It's coming. It's coming." I tried one last time to get close to her, but then she just screamed. Dad and Yume came running over. I tried to hold her hand, but she just screamed even louder and ran off to Dad. They were all fussing over her like she broke her arm or something. Dad had this big frown on his face and then… then Yume just came up and hit me. I didn't do anything wrong. My hand came up to my stinging cheek and tears started streaming down my face. I just wanted to help Sekai! I told him that. Then he yelled at me, "You don't need to help her! Do something useful and just stay out of the way before you end up hurting someone in some way that can't ever be fixed!"

This had happened lots of ways before. Either Dad yelled at me, or Yume yelled at me. I always got in trouble just for trying to be part of my family! I couldn't talk to Sekai. She didn't even want to get two feet in front of me. It didn't help to talk to anyone in school either. I was always a loner, and nobody tried to talk to or be friends with me. And Mom wasn't there anymore. No matter what I said, there would be no-one to listen or even half-care about what I said. But today, something felt different. This little voice in my head said, _Tell them how you feel! Let them know! _There are times when I think I should have ignored that voice. But it sounded so right. Needless to say, I listened to it.

"Fine! I will stay out of the way! I'll stay out of your lives forever! You won't have to worry anymore about this 'darkness' that your Sekai keeps talking about! It's always 'Sekai this' or 'Sekai that'! But you never pay attention to me! Well you can stay like that! You don't need me anymore! " I screamed out all my feelings until I had no more feelings to scream about. No more… emotions or feelings. Yume and Dad's faces paled when I said that. Sekai's eyes went wide. I smiled. I liked that. They deserved that. Yume just said, "Wait… that's not what I meant… none of us meant to…"

"Oh, really? Then you didn't mean anything else you said? You didn't mean to yell at me when I didn't do anything wrong? Dad didn't mean to always take your side, or Sekai's side, and always leave me alone?" Dad's eyes were filled with tears, and he tried to touch my shoulder, but I slapped his hand away, just like Sekai always did when I got too close. Let him see what I felt. Let him see what was really going on! "Sekai never meant to always push me away and always go to you two? Mom never meant to disappear and leave me by myself, with no one else? You said it yourself, Yume! Nothing can survive without love and care! You never did that! You never cared for me! Mom was the only one that loved me, and she's gone! Nothing, and nobody, will ever make it right again!" When I paused to take a breath, I saw my reflection in Yume's eyes. With every word I said, I saw my eyes changing. Light was dying out in them. My heart said to stop, but I didn't listen to it. Why should I? It never helped me before. Yume's voice trembled as he said, "Akuma…I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry? Sorry won't work now! It's too late to say sorry!" I shrieked. Sekai wrenched herself out of Dad's grip, and she took a few tentative steps toward me. When she did that I took a few steps back. Let her know just how it feels to be avoided. She tried to get closer. Her eyes were filled with tears. All of their eyes were. But I couldn't feel the same moisture in my eyes. All pain had stopped flowing into me. It felt… good. Like there was no more hurt. No more tears. A smirk played on my lips when she put on a burst of speed, and when I sidestepped so she wouldn't touch any part of me. She almost crashed into the wall. When she turned around, there were tears streaming down her face. Ha. Let her cry. She asked in her trembling voice, "Why are you falling to darkness? Why don't you let me get close you? Why is this happening?"

I laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Oh, so _now _you want to be part my life. Well you should have thought of some brilliant idea like this a few months ago! I've tried, and you wouldn't let me. Now that I've shut you out, you want to be with me? Is that how it is? Well, let me tell you something. You won't ever be a real part of my life again. How does that sound? You have your wish of me going away now."

I watch as shock settles into her. My smirk grows wider. Then Dad slaps me. This time he succeeds at making contact with me. I feel a dull sting in my cheek, but I'm not hurt by it. I feel the physical pain, but, where I usually would have burst into tears, I just probe my cheek with my fingers, and my eyes stay dry. I turn to look at him. I've never seen so much pain in his grey, watery, reflective eyes. In those eyes, I see my eyes. Now, they're a dull blue, with no emotion, other than utter hatred.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this to us? We may not have been the best family, and I admit that. But why would you try and intentionally hurt your little sister?" Dad's voice was higher than usual, and tears flowed freely down his face. I didn't care. "There is nothing wrong with me. I'm doing this to you because of everything you did to me. Not the best family? Ha. That's a joke. You were the worst family anybody could have had. And I would intentionally hurt any of you because 'your _light_ hurts me'. Sound familiar?" My last sentence was directed at Sekai. She flinched. Good. It didn't matter that she was in Yume's arms. None of it mattered anymore. The last comment was true. I did hurt. I hurt all over, because of some unseen force. I quickly pushed myself away from Dad. I pushed the rest of them away. I didn't need family like them. My heart said otherwise. It said to go back, to forgive them, but I ignored it again. With a straight face, I went to my room. I gave them one last glare. I saw Dad. He was beyond shocked, and his eyes showed just how much pain he was in. Yume's face was pale, and he was clutching Sekai to his chest. As for Sekai… her eyes were as wide as saucers and tears were spilling forth from her eyes like a silent waterfall. I looked closely, and saw them surrounded by light. All of them were glowing with light from an unseen source, covering them, and coming closer to me. Every second, it got closer, and the closer it got, the more the pain returned. I let down some of my defenses as I screamed and slammed the door shut.

Only then did I let that new and unfamiliar mask of indifference and malice slip off my face as I jumped onto my bed, wrapped the blankets around me in a protective cocoon, and cried my heart out. I held my favorite picture of only Mom and I, no one else, close to my heart and just sobbed for everything wrong with my life. Mom was gone, Sekai got the attention, and Dad and Yume didn't seem to care. Only when I told them I didn't care, did they finally show just how much they cared. A lot. And I totally ruined it. Now they knew just how I felt, and there was nothing I could do.

I don't know just how long I was in my room. It was obviously a long time. Usually crying always brought out all the pain through my tears, and the pain usually left, but now… crying had just amplified the pain. Pain of a lifetime had resurfaced, all the hurt I had pushed down had just come right back with a vengeance, along with the new agony of the torture I had just been put through. Not two seconds later, a voice whispered into my ear.

_You don't need them._

My head snapped up as I looked around for who could be talking. Nobody seemed to be there. Then it spoke again.

_They don't matter anymore. _

There it was again! Frantically, I searched the room for anyone who could have been there. But just when I brushed it off as my trembling nerves…

_Accept the truth. Light will never reach you again._

"Who's there?" I asked, flustered. Yume, Dad, and Sekai couldn't be doing this… or could they? Could all of that have been an act, a façade?

_Yes…It was all an act… Our Prince of Shadows… Embrace the darkness…_

"What? What do you mean Prince of Shadows? Who are you?" Silence. I shuddered. Just thinking about what the voice had said sent shivers up my spine. Light… what would that be? The light that came from the sun? Or that horrid white thing surrounding the rest of my "family"? Family… who were they? Were they really Dad, Yume, and Sekai? Or… did my true family disappear long ago? The thought of that brought a fresh batch of tears to my eyes as I started weeping again, slowly sobbing myself to sleep.

And then that fateful day came right after today's agony.

I dreamed of Mom. Over and over again, she would be in front of me, smiling like she always did, calling me, and just when I would be close enough to reach her, she moved away, closer and closer to the ocean, making me walk further and further. And then she started walking into the ocean. When I finally grabbed her hand, she beamed at me. Then she melted into the water we were standing in. I woke up screaming and whimpering. When I would finally drift back into unsettled sleep, the dream would repeat itself. Over and over again, the cycle never ended. But I kept falling asleep, just so I could her; see her genuinely smiling at me, not her smile from a timeless photo. Soon, the more I saw the dream, I didn't feel as scared as I was the first time I saw this vision. It was like… I was _merging _with this world. This world where there was no sun and everything was faded and grey. Soon, dawn came. I was about to drift off again but then, there was a dull ache in my head, and rapidly began increasing. I bit down a scream and squeezed my eyes closed as I tried to shut out the pain. Then I heard the door opening. I couldn't tell who was there. All I knew was that the closer they got, the more painful the ache got, until the throbbing in my mind turned into a searing pain. It was then that the torment became too much to handle, and screams ripped through my throat and I clenched my head in my hands. The pain stopped increasing, but I kept screaming.

"Go away! Go away!" I wailed as tears, which I was sure had run out of long ago, started to stream down my face again. But then… I heard Dad. He said, "Akuma, please stop screaming. We're trying to help you." Help me? But why would I need help? I didn't deserve help. I wanted to be left alone!

"Akuma, I'm really, really, _really_ sorry I never understood you before. I feel like I placed my curse of being endangered by darkness on you. But light is what harms you now. And I want to make sure that that never happens again." Sekai. What? Her light? Is that what was surrounding them? But then I remembered the voice. _Light will never reach you again. _Was this what it meant?

"Akuma, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not seeing what was really going on before. I couldn't see the corruption behind your darkness. It's like our own light blinds us to the true intentions of darkness, and then we see it's too late. Please, just let us make up for what we did."

I heard them. I heard their pleas for forgiveness… did the Voice really know what it was talking about? I rolled over a little to look at them. They had looks on their faces that matched the sincerity that was laced through their words. "I… I'll try…" I whispered softly. The pain stayed. I heard sighs of relief. "Akuma… this might hurt a little…" And then it came. It was like having the worst migraine in the world, and having high-pitched, loud noises ringing all around you. And on top of all that, it felt like needles, very, very sharp needles were poking…no, _stabbing_ me from everywhere. My eyes clenched together as I curled up into a little ball, holding my head as screams erupted from me. I tried to block it all out. But then all the bad memories resurfaced. All the shock and numbness, when Dad said that Mom had gone away, came back. The hurt when Sekai pushed me away. The unfairness when Yume always struck me for something I had no idea of what I was doing wrong. The pain became too intense, and I thought, _Whatever this is, I don't want it! _As soon as that notion came to mind, the pain immediately stopped. Feelings drained from me again, and I felt like something that was both cold and warm was embracing me. Very faintly, I heard screams and gasps. When I relaxed and saw what was around me, I smiled again. The mask had reappeared on my face, and I felt a sadistic smile slowly creep onto my lips. Power flowed through my veins. The Voice was right. Light would never reach me. Because Light was painful. And I wouldn't, I _couldn't_,feel pain. I was the Prince of Darkness, after all. The rest of my so-called "family" had the most shocked expressions. I heard them ask, "Akuma? What happened?" Smirking, I replied, "Your Light will never reach me. I will become the rightful heir to Darkness. I will have someone see me for who I am!"

And then something very odd happened. They glowed with the white thing, but when I looked down at my hands, I saw a shadow that surrounded me. It was a mixed color of blacks, grays, navies and indigos. Power surged through my very being. It felt…good. I had the power to control my life and everything around me now. I defiantly gazed at the three beings before me. Who were they? It did not matter. I raised my right hand, fingers slightly curved. My eyes narrowed as a sudden coldness flowed through my outstretched arm, to my fingertips, then burst out of my hand as a mass of darkness, at my total control.

I wasn't shocked. A little surprised, yes, but not shocked. This was power. This was what I wanted. The darkness shot straight at…who was it? The little brunette girl? Oh well. It was very fast, and it hit her before she could blink. I heard her scream. It didn't faze me in the least. I knew her weakness to Darkness. The Light surrounding her took a lot of the damage for her, but it wasn't enough to keep her from collapsing, unconscious. Shock, rage, and fury were etched onto the features of the older blonde. I saw his fists clench, the Light rushing and collecting in his outstretched palm, lighting up his eyes, making them both light up and look like they were coated with ice at the same time. It flowed, cool and precise, out of his fingers. It hit me before I was able to raise my hand. It stung. Not enough to hurt badly, but enough so that I could feel it. I ignored him. He was strong enough. I had to defeat the girl first. I saw the old brunette run towards her. I stopped him with a short blast of Shadows. He looked towards me, a look of pain being shot towards me. I felt a small tugging in the back of my mind. I thought nothing of it. I used his hesitation as an opportunity. I charged the Darkness once more, this time in both hands, left next to right, fingers curved, a dark sphere in between my palms, and shadows covering my entire being. It was then that I saw the Light surrounding all three of the humans in front of me. Knowing it was all aimed at me, I summoned Darkness from the deep recesses of my heart, mind, and soul. The hatred, the pain, the loneliness: it all came out in one concentrated blast. It was at that moment that the three of them chose to release their Light at me.

'Light and Darkness are complete opposites, never in the same place at the same time. Imagine the power it would take to bring them together.' I don't know who said that, but whoever they were, they were right. The second the two forces of nature made contact, it all mixed, and then…it exploded. The remaining Darkness around me shielded me from the worst, but I was still blown back into the wall. Pain rocketed up my spine as the sting spread through my back. A moan escaped from my lips. It hurt, but not too badly. However, the same could not be said for the twin screams coming from the other end of the room.

As the dust cleared, the horrifying sight before me cleared the haze of icy malevolence from my mind. I remembered my family. Sekai and Yume and Dad, they were all trying to help me. And what had I done? I attacked them and quite possibly could have killed them! Ignoring the throbbing in my leg, I stood up and gazed at the scene before me.

Dad was relatively all right. His eyes were closed, and I could see the tears spilling down his face. Something had shielded his fall. When I saw that something, or someone, a sharp gasp escaped me. I saw Yume lying on his side next to Dad. He was lying in a small pool of blood. He was breathing softly. The sight was too painful for me to look at, and I turned away to look for Sekai. When my eyes landed on her, all emotional masks and barriers were stripped away as I began crying and collapsed. Her leg was bent the wrong way, and darkness surrounded her, collecting at her chest. She was alive, but barely. A little stronger, and Sekai would have been killed! Dad stood up, hurt apparent in his eyes. He took a step towards me, and I took a step backwards. He sighed and said, "Akuma…please come back. I don't know how you could forgive me for neglecting you and not seeing your perspective of everything. Please come back and be the little boy I once knew before...before Iliad…" Was that my mother's name? It didn't matter anymore. This life here didn't matter anymore.

"I nearly killed Sekai and Yume! They could die if they didn't get medical attention fast, and here you are talking to me! I can't come back. There's no way I can atone for everything I did. Please… go help Sekai and Yume. Don't worry about me. Tell them…I love them. I…I love you too, Dad."

"I'm sorry."

With that, I turned and I did what I always did. I ran. I ran from my family, from light, from everything, because if I stayed, I would just hurt everyone. Yet again, the Voice proved itself right. Light wouldn't ever reach me again, for the path into Darkness is a slippery downward slope.

My escape ended ten minutes after I dashed out of my former house, when I collapsed from the effort of running at full speed and the tears and emotional toll the past events had taken on me. It was then I felt those warm, yet cool arms slide around me once more.

_Do you wish to join us now?_

The Voice had come back again. Were the Voice and the Darkness the same being? Then…I knew my choice. Words flowed into my head and came out through my mouth.

"Yes. I will become the Prince of Darkness. I turn my back on the Light, and join the Shadows. Never again will the Light reach me or harm my subjects or my new family."

The Voice…no. "What is your name?" I asked the Voice.

It chuckled and said, _You may call me Yami. _

"Yami…take me to where I am to be."

_Certainly._

And in one big blur, I appeared in a world of my own. I looked exactly like myself. All information that I needed to know was automatically…downloaded…into my mind. I found the people that came into existence, Parallels, with others of the World of Light. They looked like everyone else, but felt opposite emotions from what their Light partner felt. A happy Dark Parallel was rarely born into existence. Birth was sad, and Death was happy. Many of these Parallels felt the same feelings I did, and others, much deeper emotions ran through them. I never found Sekai, Yume, Mom, or Dad. Did they die? When? How? Because of me? Because of someone else? Because of themselves? So many questions…and no answers.

You know who I am now. Do you pity me? Don't. Have you learned something? Good. Think you understand me? You don't. None of what I've told you can make you understand what I've gone through. Think I'm crazy 'cause I fell to Darkness? Sure, I may be crazy, but you weren't faced with a barrage of emotions at one time. I sometimes I feel good because of the choice I made, and other times…I begin to regret not taking my Dad's hand. But I know that my place is here. With my people, with my family.

I sit here, back against one of the trees of my mind, my heart's sea singing in my ears, arm around a little seven-year-old Parallel, and staring at the sky of my soul. I sit here waiting. For what, for whom, I do not know. But I know that I am waiting.

Waiting…

_**End**_

So, has anyone gotten it? Yes? No? Any hands?

...Wait, I can't see you guys.

Anyways, if you're confused, here are a few hints. Yes, all of them, in some way or another, exist in the Digital World, namely the Adventure universe. I made up Sekai, Yume and Akuma to fit with three other _entities _*coughhintcough*. Dad already exists. He already has a name. If you have watched Digimon Adventure/02, you have most likely seen him quite a few times. Unless, by some weird way, you missed him entirely, like only watching the beginning episodes. Last hint: Sekai's…erm…canon form has shown up in both Adventure and Adventure 02. Quite a few times in fact. Meaning almost every single episode. Akuma has shown up a few times, and Yume has had, like, about two episodes of screentime in Adventure 02. That should be it…


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